ABSTRACT: Background A functional -94 insertion/deletion polymorphism (rs28362491) in the promoter of the NFKB1 gene was reported to influence NFKB1 expression and confer susceptibility to different types of cancer. This study aims to determine whether the polymorphism is associated with risk of bladder cancer. Materials and methods TaqMan assay was used to determine genotype among 609 cases and 640 controls in a Chinese population. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between the polymorphism and bladder cancer risk, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine NFKB1 mRNA expression. Results Compared with the ins/ins/ins/del genotypes, the del/del genotype was associated with a significantly increased risk of bladder cancer [adjusted odd ratio (OR) =1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.42-2.59]. The increased risk was more prominent among subjects over 65 years old (OR =2.37, 95% CI, 1.52-3.70), male subjects (OR =1.97, 95% CI, 1.40-2.79) and subjects with self-reported family history of cancer (OR =3.59, 95% CI, 1.19-10.9). Furthermore, the polymorphism was associated with a higher risk of developing non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (OR =2.07, 95% CI, 1.51-2.85), grade1 bladder cancer (OR =2.40, 95% CI, 1.68-3.43), single tumor bladder cancer (OR =2.04, 95% CI =1.48-2.82) and smaller tumor size bladder cancer (OR =2.10, 95% CI, 1.51-2.92). The expression of NFKB1 mRNA in bladder cancer tissues with homozygous insertion genotype was higher than that with deletion allele. Conclusions In conclusion, the -94 ins/del ATTG polymorphism in NFKB1 promoter may contribute to the etiology of bladder cancer in the Chinese population.
